RSS Feed


SPECTRE
Lonesome Gambler EP

Dying Victims Productions (2023)
Rating: 8/10

There has been a plethora of bands over the years using the moniker Spectre, but this particular act – named after founder Will Spectre – is one I strongly recommend. Hailing from Hobart in Tasmania, Australia’s Spectre taps into that late 70s and early 80s vibe of organic heavy rock.

Lonesome Gambler offers four excellent tracks, with the CD and cassette versions of the EP also featuring five bonus tracks. Opener is the steady vintage groover ‘Hero Of The Illusion’, a mid-tempo rocker channelling New Wave Of British Heavy Metal with its evocative lyrics and Will Spectre’s smooth croons. As always seems to be the case with such throwback rock, Spectre lines each track with a somewhat eerie edge. Whether this is intentional I’m not so sure, but it’s there and it works.

‘Wolfbane’ ups the pace slightly, but what I really enjoy about the EP are the streaks of cosmic synth which sizzle through the darkened blends of creaky rock and nostalgic metal. It’s all constructed in rather simple yet fluid fashion, catchy 70s rock never a million miles away from, say, Blue Öyster Cult, or even Ashbury, where each subtle beat brims with an almost summery glint. The title track and the harder ‘Turning The Wheel’ snake wondrously with their melodies, the latter a shining example of the use of the synths.

Spectre should be proud of what they have achieved here; a mesmeric slab of breezy hard rock tinged with psych nuances but bristling with vintage vigour.

Neil Arnold

<< Back to Album & EP Reviews



Related Posts via Categories
Share